Swedish II Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
Thanks to Krystallia for the mp3s! Don't forget to check out the Foreign Service Institute Swedish Course and Swedish Listening Resources, where you will find authentic and spontaneous Swedish recordings with transcripts and English translations.
21. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns 
| with en words | with ett words | with plural words | |
| my / mine | min | mitt | mina |
| your / yours | din | ditt | dina |
| his / her / its / their | sin | sitt | sina |
| his / his | hans | hans | hans |
| her / hers | hennes | hennes | hennes |
| its / its | dess | dess | dess |
| our / ours | vår | vårt | våra |
| your / yours | er | ert | era |
| their / theirs | deras | deras | deras |
The same forms are used for possessive adjectives that are used directly before nouns and for possessive pronouns that replace a noun. For example, this is my car and this is mine would be translated as det här är min bil and det här är min.
Sin, sitt and sina can only be used when the third person possessive adjective refers to the subject of the same clause. These words can be translated as his, her, its or their. Generally, if you cannot insert "own" after the possessive adjective in English, you cannot use sin/sitt/sina.
Per besöker sin mamma. = Per visits his (own) mother.
(Sin refers back to Per.)
Eva ringer hans mamma. = Eva calls his mother. (Hans refers to Per, not Eva.)
|
göra - to do/make |
bli - to become |
|
| present |
gör |
blir |
| past |
gjorde |
blev |
| future |
ska göra |
ska bli |
| actor | skådespelare | judge | domare |
| actress | skådespelerska | lawyer | advokat |
| author | författare | mechanic | mekaniker, montör |
| baker | bagare | musician | musiker |
| baker's shop | bageri | nurse | sjuksköterska |
| bookseller | bokhandlare | official | ämbetsman |
| bookshop | bokaffär | optician (eye doctor) | optiker |
| businessman | affärsman | painter | målare |
| butcher | slaktare | photographer | fotograf |
| pharmacist | farmaceut | policeman | polis |
| pharmacy | apotek (n) | postman | brevbärare |
| cook | kock, kokerska | priest | präst |
| customer | kund | publisher | förläggare |
| dentist | tandläkare | scientist | vetenskapsman |
| doctor | läkare, doktor | shoemaker | skomakare |
| employee | anställd, arbetstagare | shop, store | butik |
| engineer | ingenjör | singer | sångare, sångerska |
| fisherman | fiskare | student | student |
| gardener | trädgårdsmästare | surgeon | kirurg |
| hairdresser | hårfrisör | tailor | skräddare |
| jeweler | juvelerare | teacher | lärare |
| journalist | journalist | workman | arbetare |
| vid | by, at, next to | av | of, by, with |
| i | in | bakom | behind |
| på | on, in, at | bland | among |
| hos | at the house of | bredvid | beside |
| till | to | efter | after, for |
| från | from | enligt | according to |
| genom | through, by | framför | in front of |
| längs | along | för | for, by, with |
| över | across, over | omkring | around |
| mot | towards, to | med | with, by |
| mellan | between | under | under, below |
| om | around, about, in | utan | without |
| sedan | since | utom | except for |
| trots | in spite of | åt | towards, for |
Vid is used to express a position next to something, but with no contact. I is used to express a position in something that is seen to have volume (room, containers, etc.); and it is also used with countries, cities, villages, etc. På is used to express a position on something that is seen as a line or surface with contact; and it is also used with islands, addresses, and particular places, such as bank, post office, cinema, hospital, library, etc. Three exceptions to using på with particular places include school, the shop and church: i skolan, i affären, i kyrkan.
| Country | Noun | Adjective | |
| Africa / African | Afrika | afrikan | afrikansk |
| America / American | Amerika | amerikan | amerikansk |
| Argentina / Argentinan | Argentina | argentinare | argentinsk |
| Asia / Asian | Asien | asiat | asiatisk |
| Australia / Australian | Australien | australiensare | australiensk |
| Austria / Austrian | Österrike | österrikare | österrikisk |
| Belgium / Belgian | Belgien | belgare | belgisk |
| Brazil / Brazilian | Brasilien | brasilianare | brasiliansk |
| Canada / Canadian | Kanada | kanadensare | kanadensisk |
| China / Chinese | Kina | kines | kinesisk |
| Denmark / Dane | Danmark | dansk | dansk |
| Egypt / Egyptian | Egypten | egyptier | egyptisk |
| England / English | England | engelsman | engelsk |
| Europe / European | Europa | europé | europeisk |
| Finland / Finnish | Finland | finländare / finne | finsk |
| France / French | Frankrike | fransman | fransk |
| Germany / German | Tyskland | tysk | tysk |
| Great Britain / British | Storbritannien | britt | brittisk |
| Greece / Greek | Grekland | grek | grekisk |
| Netherlands / Dutch | Holland | holländare | holländsk |
| Hungary / Hungarian | Ungern | ungrare | ungersk |
| Ireland / Irish | Irland | irländare | irländsk |
| Italy / Italian | Italien | italienare | italiensk |
| Japan / Japanese | Japan | japan | japansk |
| Norway / Norwegian | Norge | norrman | norsk |
| Poland / Polish | Polen | polack | polsk |
| Portugal / Portuguese | Portugal | portugis | portugisisk |
| Russia / Russian | Ryssland | ryss | rysk |
| Scotland / Scottish | Skottland | skotte | skotsk |
| Spain / Spanish | Spanien | spanjor | spansk |
| Sweden / Swedish | Sverige | svensk | svensk |
| Switzerland / Swiss | Schweiz | schweizare | schweizisk |
| Turkey / Turkish | Turkiet | turk | turkisk |
| United States | U.S.A. | amerikan | amerikansk |
For languages, you generally add -a to the adjective: svenska is Swedish and engelska is English, etc.
To make a sentence negative in Swedish, simply add inte
after the verb. If there is an auxiliary verb and a main verb, inte goes
between the two.
In addition, if you answer "yes" to a negative question, you must
use jo instead of ja.
A yes/no question can be answered with a short phrase, just as in English. The verb göra (to do/make) is used with the pronoun det and the subject of the question. Some verbs are not replaced by göra and are repeated in the short answer, such as vara and ha. This is very similar to English, except for the word order.
Positive Short Answer: Ja + det + Verb +
Subject
Negative Short Answer: Nej + det + Verb + Subject
+ inte
Arbetar hon här? Does she work here?
Ja, det gör hon. Yes, she does.
Nej, det gör hon inte. No, she doesn't.
Är de glada? Are they happy?
Ja, det är de. Yes, they are.
Nej, det är de inte. No, they are not.
|
komma - to come |
gå - to go |
|
| present |
kommer |
går |
| past |
kom |
gick |
| future |
ska komma |
ska gå |
|
kunna - to be able to, can |
vilja - to want to |
få - to be allowed to |
--- have to, must |
|
| present |
kan |
vill |
får |
måste |
| past |
kunde |
ville |
fick |
--- |
Just as in English, there is no past form of must / måste.
You can either use var tvungen or behövde
instead, as in jag var tvungen att ... = I had to...
|
skola - supposed to, will, should |
böra- should, ought to |
bruka - usually, used to |
behöva - need to |
|
| present |
ska |
bör |
brukar |
behöver |
| past |
skulle |
borde |
brukade |
behövde |
Vi kan tala engelska. We can speak English.
Han kunde inte spela. He could not play.
Sven vill sova. Sven wants to sleep.
Hon vill ha kaffe. She wants coffee. (When vilja is
followed by a noun, ha is added before the noun.)
Du får röka. You may smoke.
De måste gå hem nu. They must go home now.
Du får inte röka. You must not smoke. (Must not
is translated with får inte rather than måste inte,
which means don't have to.)
Jag brukar dricka kaffe efter lunch. I usually drink coffee
after lunch. (Brukar in the present tense means usually + main
verb.)
30. Conjugating Regular Verbs (Present and Past Tenses)
Infinitives in Swedish end in -a. When conjugating verbs, the same form is used for all subject pronouns, whether singular or plural. To form the present tense of verbs, either add -r to the infinitive or remove the -a and add -er.
tala - to speak (-ar verb) & stänga - to close (-er verb)
Present Tense
|
Past Tense
|
Present Tense
|
Past Tense |
||||
| jag talar | I speak | jag talade | I spoke | jag stänger | I close | jag stängde | I closed |
| du talar | you speak | du talade | you spoke | du stänger | you close | du stängde | you closed |
| han talar | he speaks | han talade | he spoke | han stänger | he closes | han stängde | he closed |
| hon talar | she speaks | hon talade | she spoke | hon stänger | she closes | hon stängde | she closed |
| vi talar | we speak | vi talade | we spoke | vi stänger | we close | vi stängde | we closed |
| ni talar | you speak | ni talade | you spoke | ni stänger | you close | ni stängde | you closed |
| de talar | they speak | de talade | they spoke | de stänger | they close | de stängde | they closed |
Please note the three present tenses in English (simple, progressive and emphatic) are all translated by one verb form in Swedish. Jag talar can mean I speak, I am speaking or I do speak.
Four Past Tense Conjugations
To form the past tense, most verbs add -de to the present tense form of -ar verbs and to the stem of -er verbs (infinitive minus -a). But if the stem ends in a voiceless consonant (k, p, t, or s), then add -te instead. Another group of verbs, short verbs ending in a vowel, add -dde to form the past tense. (See 34. Irregular Verbs below for a longer list as many of these verbs have irregular forms in other tenses.)
Infinitive |
Present |
Past |
||
| Infinitive of -ar verbs; add -de | arbeta | to work | arbetar | arbetade |
| fråga | to ask | frågar | frågade | |
| öppna | to open | öppnar | öppnade | |
| tala | to speak | talar | talade | |
| Stem of -er verbs; add -de | ringa | to ring | ringer | ringde |
| stänga | to close | stänger | stängde | |
| följa | to follow | följer | följde | |
| bygga | to build | bygger | byggde | |
| Stem ends in k, p, t, or s; add -te | tänka | to think | tänker | tänkte |
| röka | to smoke | röker | rökte | |
| läsa | to read | läser | läste | |
| köpa | to buy | köper | köpte | |
| Infinitive ends in long vowel; add -dde | tro | to believe | tror | trodde |
| bo | to live, dwell | bor | bodde |
Some verbs in Swedish are reflexive verbs, in that the action by
the subject is performed by itself. This is comparable to the -self or -selves
pronouns used in English with some verbs, such as he behaves himself.
Most of the time, verbs that are reflexive in Swedish are not reflexive in English.
To conjugate these verbs, simply add these pronouns after the verb:
| mig (mej) | myself | oss | ourselves |
| dig (dej) | yourself | er | yourselves |
| sig (sej) | himself/herself/itself | sig (sej) | theirselves |
The forms in parentheses are used in colloquial (spoken and written) Swedish. In fact, mig, dig and sig are pronounced as if they were written mej, dej and sej.
Verbs that end in -ar in the present tense simply remove the -r to form the command (imperative). Verbs that end in -er in the present tense remove the -er to form the command. You cannot form the imperative if you only know the infinitive and not if the verb takes -ar or -er in the present tense. But if you do know that an infinitive is an -ar verb, you leave the -a in the imperative, and if the infinitive is an -er verb, you remove the -a.
| Present Tense | Imperative | Translation |
| öppnar | öppna! | open! |
| väntar | vänta! | wait! |
| skriver | skriv! | write! |
| läser | läs! | read! |
The present and past perfect tenses consist of two parts: har / hade and the supine form of the main verb. This is a compound tense that corresponds to has/have / had and a past participle in English. The main difference between Swedish and English in this tense, however, is that Swedish uses the supine form of the verb instead of the past participle.
To form the supine, -ar verbs add -t to the infinitive; while -er verbs replace -a with -t in the infinitive. Infinitives ending in long vowels add -tt to form the supine.
Infinitive |
Present |
Past |
Supine |
|
| arbeta | to work | arbetar | arbetade | arbetat |
| fråga | to ask | frågar | frågade | frågat |
| öppna | to open | öppnar | öppnade | öppnat |
| tala | to speak | talar | talade | talat |
| ringa | to ring | ringer | ringde | ringt |
| stänga | to close | stänger | stängde | stängt |
| följa | to follow | följer | följde | följt |
| bygga | to build | bygger | byggde | byggt |
| tänka | to think | tänker | tänkte | tänkt |
| röka | to smoke | röker | rökte | rökt |
| läsa | to read | läser | läste | läst |
| köpa | to buy | köper | köpte | köpt |
| tro | to believe | tror | trodde | trott |
| bo | to live, dwell | bor | bodde | bott |
Jag har läst boken. I have read the book.
Hon hade öppnat dörren. She had opened the door.
Several verbs in Swedish are considered irregular because they do not follow the rules for the different conjugations. These forms need to be memorized since these verbs are very common.
| Infinitive | Imperative | Present | Past | Supine | Translation |
| vara | var | är | var | varit | be |
| ha | ha | har | hade | haft | have |
| komma | kom | kommer | kom | kommit | come |
| göra | gör | gör | gjorde | gjort | do, make |
| ta | ta, tag | tar | tog | tagit | take |
| säga | säg | säger | sa, sade | sagt | say |
| veta | vet | vet | visste | vetat | know |
| låta | låt | låter | lät | låtit | let |
| hålla | håll | håller | höll | hållit | hold |
| heta | het | heter | hette | hetat | be called |
| åka | åk | åker | åkte | åkt | go |
| resa | res | reser | reste | rest | travel |
| bära | bär | bär | bar | burit | carry |
| dra | dra, drag | drar | drog | dragit | pull, drag |
| ligga | ligg | ligger | låg | legat | lie (down) |
| lägga | lägg | lägger | la, lade | lagt | put |
| sätta | sätt | sätter | satte | satt | put |
| slå | slå | slår | slog | slagit | hit |
| falla | fall | faller | föll | fallit | fall |
| äta | ät | äter | åt | ätit | eat |
| sova | sov | sover | sov | sovit | sleep |
| stjäla | stjäl | stjäler | stal | stulit | steal |
| gråta | gråt | gråter | grät | gråtit | cry |
| sälja | sälj | säljer | sålde | sålt | sell |
| välja | välj | väljer | valde | valt | choose |
| vänja | vänj | vänjer | vande | vant | accustom |
| svälja | svälj | sväljer | svalde | svalt | swallow |
| skilja | skilj | skiljer | skilde | skilt | separate |
Some -er verbs (and never -ar verbs) have irregular simple past and supine forms.
Sometimes these involve a vowel change and lack of ending.
| Infinitive | Past | Supine | Translations |
| binda | band | bundit | to bind / bound / bound |
| brinna | brann | brunnit | to burn / burned / burned |
| dricka | drack | druckit | to drink / drank / drunk |
| finna | fann | funnit | to find / found / found |
| försvinna | försvann | försvunnit | to disappear / disappeared / disappeared |
| hinna | hann | hunnit | to manage / managed / managed |
| rinna | rann | runnit | to run, flow / ran, flowed / run, flowed |
| sitta | satt | suttit | to sit / sat / sat |
| slippa | slapp | sluppit | to get out of / got out of / gotten out of |
| spricka | sprack | spruckit | to split / split / split |
| springa | sprang | sprungit | to run / ran / run |
| sticka | stack | stuckit | to stick / stuck / stuck |
| vinna | vann | vunnit | to win / won / won |
| bita | bet | bitit | to bite / bit / bitten |
| gripa | grep | gripit | to grip / gripped / gripped |
| lida | led | lidit | to suffer / suffered / suffered |
| rida | red | ridit | to ride / rode / ridden |
| skina | sken | skinit | to shine / shone / shone |
| skriva | skrev | skrivit | to write / wrote / written |
| slita | slet | slitit | to wear out / wore out / worn out |
| stiga | steg | stigit | to rise / rose / risen |
| tiga | teg | tigit | to be silent / was silent / been silent |
| vrida | vred | vridit | to turn / turned / turned |
| bjuda | bjöd | bjudit | to invite / invited / invited |
| ljuga | ljög | ljugit | to lie / lied / lied (to tell a lie) |
| sjunga | sjöng | sjungit | to sing / sang / sung |
| skjuta | sköt | skjutit | to shoot / shot / shot |
| bryta | bröt | brutit | to break / broke / broken |
| flyga | flög | flugit | to fly / flew / flown |
| flyta | flöt | flutit | to float / floated / floated |
| frysa | frös | frusit | to freeze / froze / frozen |
| knyta | knöt | knutit | to tie up / tied up / tied up |
| krypa | kröp | krupit | to crawl / crawled / crawled |
A few infinitives in Swedish do not end in -a. These are short verbs and they
end in a long, stressed vowel. The infinitive is the same as the imperative,
and the present tense is formed by adding -r. The past tense if formed by adding
-dde to the infinitive, and the supine is formed by adding -tt to the infinitive.
However, a few of the short verbs have an irregular form in the past.
| Infinitive / Imperative | Present Tense | Past Tense | Supine | Translation |
| Short verbs with a regular past: | ||||
| tro | tror | trodde | trott | believe, think |
| ske | sker | skedde | skett | happen |
| nå | når | nådde | nått | reach |
| bo | bor | bodde | bott | live (dwell) |
| må | mår | mådde | mått | feel (of health) |
| klä | klär | klädde | klätt | dress |
| Short verbs with an irregular past: | ||||
| få | får | fick | fått | get, receive |
| gå | går | gick | gått | go, walk |
| ge | ger | gav | gett | give |
| se | ser | såg | sett | see |
| dö | dör | dog | dött | die |
| stå | står | stod | stått | stand |
| be | ber | bad | bett | ask, pray |
| bacon | bacon / fläsk (n) | salt | salt (n) |
| beef | nötkött (n) | sandwich | smörgås |
| beer | öl (n) | sauce | sås |
| beverage | dryck | sausage | korv |
| biscuit | kaka | soup | soppa |
| bread | bröd (n) | stew | gryta |
| breakfast | frukost | sugar | socker (n) |
| butter | smör (n) | supper | middag |
| cake | kaka / tårta | tea | te (n) |
| cheese | ost | veal | kalvkött (n) |
| chicken | kyckling | vegetables | grönsaker |
| coffee | kaffe | vinegar | ättika / vinäger |
| cream | grädde | wine | vin (n) |
| dessert | dessert | basin | skål |
| dinner | middag | bottle | flaska |
| egg | ägg (n) | can opener | konservöppnare |
| fried egg | stekta ägg | coffee pot | kaffekanna |
| soft-boiled egg | kokta ägg | colander | durkslag |
| fat | fett (n) | corkscrew | korkskruv |
| flour | mjöl (n) | cup | kopp |
| ham | skinka | dish | fat (n) |
| honey | honung | fork | gaffel |
| jam | sylt | frying pan | stekpanna |
| lunch | lunch | glass | glas (n) |
| meal | måltid | jug | kruka |
| meat | kött (n) | kettle | kittel |
| milk | mjölk | knife | kniv |
| mustard | senap | lid | lock (n) |
| mutton | fårkött (n) | napkin | servett |
| oil | olja | plate | tallrik |
| omelet | omelett | saucer | tefat (n) |
| pepper | peppar | saucepan | kastrull |
| pork | fläsk (n) | spoon | sked |
| roll | bulle | tablecloth | duk |
| salad | sallad | teapot | tekanna |
If you are referring to a brand of beer, öl is a neutral noun instead of common.
| almond | mandel | strawberry | jordgubbe |
| apple | äpple (n) | tree | träd (n) |
| apple tree | äppelträd (n) | tree trunk | stam |
| apricot | aprikos | vine | vinstock |
| ash | ask | walnut | valnöt |
| bark | bark | willow | pil |
| beech | bok | artichoke | kronärtskocka |
| berry | bär (n) | asparagus | sparris |
| birch | björk | barley | korn (n) |
| blackberry | björnbär (n) | bean (broad) | böna |
| branch | gren | bean (kidney) | kidneyböna |
| cherry | körsbär (n) | brussel sprouts | brysselkål |
| cherry tree | körsbärsträd (n) | cabbage | kål |
| chestnut | kastanj | carrot | morot |
| chestnut tree | kastanjeträd (n) | cauliflower | blomkål |
| currant | vinbär (n) | celery | selleri |
| cypress | cypress | corn | majs |
| date | dadel | cucumber | gurka |
| elm | alm | eggplant | aubergine |
| fig | fikon (n) | garlic | vitlök |
| fir | gran | herb | ört |
| fruit | frukt | horse-radish | pepparrot |
| grapes | vindruvor | lentil | lins |
| hazelnut | hasselnöt | lettuce | sallad |
| kernel | kärna | maize | majs |
| laurel | lagerträd (n) | mint | mynta |
| leaf | blad (n) | mushroom | svamp |
| lemon | citron | oats | havre |
| lime tree | lind | onion | lök |
| melon | melon | parsley | persilja |
| oak | ek | pea | ärta |
| olive | oliv | potato | potatis |
| olive tree | olivträd (n) | pumpkin | pumpa |
| orange | apelsin | radish | rädisa |
| orange tree | apelsinträd (n) | rice | ris (n) |
| peach | persika | rye | råg |
| pear | päron (pl) | sage | salvia |
| pear tree | päronträd | seed | frö (n) |
| pine | tall | spinach | spenat |
| pineapple | ananas | stalk | stjälk |
| plum | plommon (n) | tomato | tomat |
| poplar | poppel | turnip | rova |
| raspberry | hallon (n) | wheat | vete (n) |
| root | rot |
Coordinating Conjunctions
| och | and |
| eller | or |
| men | but |
| för | because, for |
| så | so |
| som | as |
| antingen...eller | either...or |
| varken...eller | neither...nor |
Subordinating Conjunctions
| att | that |
| då | when |
| eftersom | because, as |
| för att | in order to, so that |
| därför att | because |
| innan / förrän | before |
| medan | while |
| när | when |
| om | if, whether (interrogation) |
| fast | even if, although |
| sedan | since, as |
| nu då | now that |
In general, the word order of Swedish is the same as English: Subject + Verb + Object. However, the word order is slightly different from English when something other than the subject of the verb begins the sentence. In declarative sentences, the main verb is always in the second position (but not necessarily the second word!). For example, if a sentence begins with an adverb or an object, the verb will be the second element in the sentence, and the subject will come after the verb. Then any other forms of verbs (such as participles or infinitives) will come after the subject.
| Adverb or Object | Main Verb | Subject | (Participle / Infinitive) | Translation |
| I morgon | åker | jag | till Sverige. | I'm going to Sweden tomorrow. |
| I affären | köper | jag | bröd. | I buy bread in the store. |
In sentences that begin with a subordinate clause, the second (independent) clause will have inversion of the verb and subject. The subordinate clause is the first element in the sentence, so the verb must be second, and the subject is third.
| Subordinate Clause | Main Verb | Subject | Rest of Sentence | Translation |
| När jag var ung, | bodde | jag | i Sverige. | When I was young, I lived in Sweden. |
| Nu då hon har kommit | kan | vi | börja. | Now that she's arrived we can begin. |
Furthermore, adverbs that modify the entire sentence come before the verb in subordinate clauses, whereas they normally occur after the verb in regular sentences. Besides inte (not), these adverbs include: aldrig (never), alltid (always), alltså (so, then), möjligtvis (maybe), gärna (gladly, with pleasure), bara (only) and säkert (surely).
Han säger att han inte kan åka bil till Stockholm. He said that he cannot come to Stockholm by car.
Yes/No questions: Invert the subject and verb so that the verb begins the question.
Arbetar han? Does he work?
Regnar det? Is it raining?
Question Words: The question word begins the question, and the verb comes next, followed by the subject.
Var bor Sten? Where does Sten live?
Vad gör Elsa? What does Elsa do?
| God Jul! | Merry Christmas! |
| Gott Nytt År! | Happy New Year! |
| Glad Påsk! | Happy Easter! |
| Grattis på födelsedagen! | Happy Birthday! |
Du gamla, du fria, du fjällhöga Nord,
Du tysta, du glädjerika sköna!
Jag hälsar dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
Din sol, din himmel, dina ängder gröna.
Din sol, din himmel, dina ängder gröna.
Du tronar på minnen från fornstora da'r,
då ärat ditt namn flög över jorden.
Jag vet att du är och du blir, vad du var.
Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden.
Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden.
You ancient, free and mountainous North,
Of quiet, joyful beauty,
I greet you, loveliest land on earth,
Your sun, your sky, your green meadows.
Your sun, your sky, your green meadows.
You are throned on memories of olden days
When the honour of your name spread over the earth.
I know that you are and will remain what you were.
Oh, may I live, may die in the Nordic North!
Oh, may I live, may die in the Nordic North!
